Beverage Container With Integral Flow Control Member Having Vent And Outlet Pinhole Membranes And Safety Button

Abstract

A non-spill beverage container includes a cap having a tube-like spout and a baffle mounted inside the spout, and a flow control member having a spout (first) membrane supported over the spout opening. A vent (second) membrane that is disposed adjacent to the spout and is supported over a vent opening defined in the cap. The spout and vent membranes are punctured to form multiple, substantially round pinholes that remain closed to prevent fluid flow under normal atmospheric conditions, and open to facilitate fluid flow under an applied pressure differential (e.g., when sucked on by a child). The baffle limits the differential pressure applied to the spout membrane when the container is not in use. The flow control member can only be removed from the cap by removing the cap from the container body and pressing a flexible safety button from an inside surface of the cap.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent application for “NON-SPILL CONTAINER WITH FLOW CONTROL STRUCTURE INCLUDING BAFFLE AND ELASTIC MEMBRANE HAVING NORMALLY-CLOSED PINHOLES”, U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 131,721, filed May 17, 2005.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to fluid flow control devices for beverage containers, and more specifically it relates to elastic flow control members for, e.g., child sippy cups, and adult “travel” mugs and sports bottles. RELATED ART [0003] Sippy cups, travel mugs and sports bottles represent three types of beverage containers that utilize flow control devices to control the ingestion of beverage in response to an applied sucking force. Sippy cups are a type of spill-resistant container typically made for children that include a cup body and a screw-on or snap-on lid having a drinking spout molded thereon. An inexpensive flow control element, such as a soft rubber or silicone o...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The solution provides superior non-spill and no-drip characteristics, automatically adjusts fluid flow rate to suction, prevents clogging and tearing, and securely attaches the flow control member, enhancing safety and reliability.

Problems solved by technology

One problem associated with conventional non-spill cups is that the elastomeric material used to form the slit-type “no drip” flow control valves can fatigue in the region of the slits and / or become obstructed over time, and the resulting loss of resilience can cause leakage when the slit flaps fail to fully close after use.

This failure of the slit flaps to close can be caused by any of several mechanisms, or a combination thereof.

First, repeated shearing forces exerted at the end of each slit due to repeated use can cause tearing of the elastomeric material in this region, thereby reducing the resilient forces needed to close the slit flaps after use.

Second, thermal cycling or mechanical cleaning (brushing) of the elastomeric material due, for example, to repeated washing, can cause the elastomeric material to become less elastic (i.e., more brittle), which can also reduce the resilience of the slit flaps.

Third, solid deposits left by liquids passing through the slits can accumulate over time to impede the slit flaps from closing fully.

A second problem associated with conventional non-spill cups is that the “no drip” flow control valves are typically located inside the short, straw-like drinking spout such that a small, open upper section of the spout is located above the valve.

Another problem associated with conventional beverage containers is that vents are required to allow air into the cup as liquid is drawn out to prevent a vacuum condition inside the beverage chamber.

Conventional non-spill cups typically utilize elastomeric vent devices having slits that function in a manner similar to the conventional flow control valve used in the drinking spouts, and thus are subject to clogging and tearing problems similar to those described above with respect to the drinking spout valve.

An additional problem associated with child sippy cups is a safety requirement that no small part of the sippy cup can be easily removed and ingested by a child, and thus pose a potential choke-type hazard.

This alternative embodiment would reduce dripping through the slit-like opening due to the pressure reducing function of the baffle, but would be subject to the problems described above.

In addition, the safety button is secured to the socket such that the safety button can only be easily disconnected from the cap by pushing the safety button through the socket from the underside surface of the cap, thereby meeting the safety requirement requiring that the cap be removed from the container body before the flow control member can be removed from the cap.

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